Inner Demons
by TRikiD
Summary: A Core with an unknown past turns up in the Aperture Science facility, angering GLaDOS since she can't figure out where it came from and why it was activated without her knowing. Little does she know that there is an older and deeper evil within, and that the threat had been forming ever since she was first corrupted.


Inner Demons

Chapter 1 - The Stranger

Testing in one of the older and lower chambers of Aperture Science wasn't something P-Body and Atlas weren't expecting when GLaDOS sent them their testing schedule for the day, but they didn't question it. Anyone who was smart enough knew not to argue with GLaDOS given her track record of losing morality in the blink of an eye, and they wouldn't be able to anyway since they couldn't speak coherent English—or any language for that matter. It was all beeps, static spurts and electrical shrieks for them.

The pair of robots worked together to reach the end of the chamber, which darkened the closer they got to it. It was clear that GLaDOS had yet to start cleaning up this part of the facility, for she was still distracted with cleaning up a certain moronic metal ball's mess elsewhere.

P-Body had flung himself through a portal while Atlas waited on a button, allowing him to fly through the door that the pressure button opened. But as soon as P-Body flew through the door, something small and round dipped down into the doorway, hitting P-Body directly in the upper section of his body.

Atlas let out short spurts of static that indicated laughter, as he watched his taller partner get turned upside-down from the impact and land flat on his back like a cartoon character. After having his fill of amusement, Atlas left the button and rushed to P-Body's aid.

"That was not supposed to happen at the end of the test. What is that thing?" the calm yet concerned voice of GLaDOS questioned over the PA system.

P-Body stood with Atlas' help, and shook the dizziness from his optic. Both robots looked up at the nearest camera, and merely shrugged. Great help they could be. GLaDOS constantly wished that she had programmed them with better observation skills—as well as a little bit of curiosity.

No, that definitely wasn't a good idea. Curiosity was what caused a human to murder her, as well as steal her body and give it to the dumbest moron in existence, who proceeded to put her in a potato.

Curiosity was out of the question.

GLaDOS adjusted the camera while P-Body and Atlas looked up at the strange object hanging in the doorway, and all three of them were more than confused by what they were seeing. It was a Core, spherical in shape like most, is not all, Cores; its top half was painted black while the bottom half was white, and its optic was currently shut off since its collision P-Body clearly knocked it into stasis. A few of the Core's outer walls were cracked and slid out of place, and it hung limply on a management rail as sparks occasionally flew from it.

"A Core? I did not authorize its entrance into this chamber, or its activation, or its existence," GLaDOS stated in realization, as P-Body and Atlas stared at her expectantly, "Bring that Core to me, and make sure it _stays_ deactivated. Perhaps it could provide information as to how it came to be without my awareness."

The two robots did, once again, did as they were told, and carefully disengaged the stasis-locked Core from the management rail. But as P-Body and Atlas made their way towards GLaDOS' chambers, they failed to notice another Core peeking out from behind a dislodged panel in the wall, its fiery red gaze glowing brightly behind its squinting optic plates.

* * *

Making sure to keep the new Core far away from any panel or computer that would allow a Core transfer, GLaDOS found a port to plug it into and power it on. Hopefully, the collision didn't destroy its memory processors, or else bringing an unwanted guest into her chambers would have been for nothing.

GLaDOS told P-Body and Atlas to return to their testing immediately after they brought the Core to her, leaving her alone to closely observe the strange guest. She tried accessing the Core's black box, which may allow her to see the Core's last couple of minutes before P-Body flew into it. Unfortunately, no matter what GLaDOS tried, she couldn't gain access to the Core's black box, or any of its memories for that matter; she couldn't run an analysis of its primary log file, its functions, its purpose, nothing. Something was blocking her out.

It there was anything GLaDOS despised more than people constantly trying to kill her, it was someone or something in her facility that she knew nothing about. Nothing was ever kept from her, and she wasn't going to start now. GLaDOS amplified the recharging process in hopes of speeding up the Core's reboot. Much to GLaDOS' relief, the Core showed signs of awaking a few moments later.

Its optic was the first thing to whir to life, as it spun around and began to flicker on with a vibrant violet color. The optic plates blinked a few times in an attempt to blink away any static in the corner of its vision, and the spinning eventually slowed to aimless spiraling.

"What…where…am I?" the Core spoke meekly, revealing a feminine and British-accented voice.

"So, you _do_ speak," GLaDOS began matter-of-factly.

The Core shook underneath the larger robot's huge body and intense gaze, "Uh…o-of course. Is there a-anything you want me to say?"

"There is not enough that you can say that will interest me, but you can start by explaining who you are and where you came from."

"My name is Alice. I don't remember what I was doing before I found that chamber, but I went inside when I saw those two robots…and then one of them came out of nowhere and hit me."

GLaDOS squinted in annoyance, "It was your fault for getting in Orange's way when he was merely trying to complete the test. Most who interfere with vital testing experiences are immediately punished via Android Hell."

GLaDOS paused and allowed Alice to soak in the terror she was obviously trying to input into her, never getting tired of effortlessly being able to scare her enemies by stating a few facts and lowering her voice a few octaves.

She then continued, "But I think you are hiding something from me, and I want to keep you alive long enough for me to find it."

Alice blinked in surprise, "But how will you do that? _I_ don't even know how to restore my memory."

"That is where the beauty of science comes in, and not just any science. Aperture Science, where we go to some of the most extreme lengths to discover, experiment and enlighten—even at the expense of being called monsters."

* * *

**Right so, I'm not a scientist, in case that wasn't obvious, so I'm probably gonna get a lot of technical stuff and general facts wrong. If I do(which I definitely will), feel free to correct me...just do it nicely, if you please.**

**Also, I've always been prone to write short chapters, so I'm sorry if any of the future chapters aren't as long as you'd like.**

**Until the next chapter, I'm TRikiD, bye-bye!**


End file.
